Elias had nodded and said nothing, but the words had stayed with him longer than he’d expected. He went to get dressed. The suit fit well enough across the shoulders, a little loose around the middle now — he’d lost weight since March and hadn’t quite found it again.
He knotted his tie carefully in the bathroom mirror, the same way Margaret had shown him years ago, and adjusted it twice before deciding it was good enough. Then he reached for the hat on the hook by the door. His good one, the tan felt hat he kept for occasions. It felt right. It felt like him.